Scientific Blight
by MerciMercy
Summary: Set awhile after Recall, Moira and Angela reconnect from a several year long break in contact. In progress, chapters will be uploaded sporadically.
1. Chapter 1

A mistake. That was what had happened, Moira knew better than this. She'd acted out of emotion and now... She had an angel in a cage. Talon had only included her because of her knowledge of Overwatch's watchpoint layouts. She'd certainly spent enough time in them, tucked away from the public eye as she'd performed various research tasks. She knew though, if things weren't fixed quickly, it would be the last mission she'd be going on.

During debriefing, she reasoned that capturing Angela Ziegler was a smart move, to extract intelligence from her about her own research within Overwatch. Winston's recall had surprised Talon just enough to give her a bit of credit for her "quick thinking" as they'd called it. However, during the entire meeting, Moira could feel Reaper's glare fixed on her. He didn't believe she'd taken Angela for Talon's gain. While that was partially correct, she hoped he wouldn't be stupid enough to voice that in front of everyone. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut for once. He had become unpredictable with his new condition, something Moira still needed to study further.

She'd also suggested that once information had been gathered, they should keep the woman as a bargaining chip. A collectable toy to hold until the other party had a worthwhile price to pay for her. Leadership seemed to like the idea, though Reaper's anger only seemed to grow. By the time the meeting ended, Moira felt the tension filling the air as if it were a thick fog, cloying at everyone's throats, choking off any comfort one could feel. She fled to her labs as quickly as she could without seeming suspicious.

Hours after the mission, after they'd spoken to leadership, Reaper had stood in the doorway of her lab, watching her silently. She'd never known him to be a patient man, not even before the incident... To see him so silent, so motionless... She knew he must be fuming. She was correct.

"What on earth were you thinking, Moira?!" He started in on her when she finally acknowledged him. "Bringing her here, of all people? You know nothing good will come of this." Moira had sat at her desk for awhile, fingers steepled with her forehead resting against her fingertips. She'd taken a major risk in their recent mission, one she had felt more than a little shame for. Talon had moved on Overwatch, attacking them during a transport in Korea. Moira had only volunteered for the mission because she knew Angela would be involved, though she'd merely stated she'd know best how to get under their skin, having worked alongside most of the agents involved. Talon's mission director had agreed, seeing best to deploy her as well as Reaper, the one factor she hadn't expected. Truthfully, she'd only planned to corner the other woman, intimidate her perhaps. She hadn't planned for what turn of events happened instead, and now... Well, she had an angel in a cage.

"I know." She said calmly, trying to hide the turmoil within herself. "I thought she would be a good bargaining chip, if anyth-"

"No." He cut her off. "If anything she's a beacon for them to come attack us. We've had the advantage of stealth until now. You have no idea how much danger this could put us- put Talon in!" He stepped into the room, directly into her path. "You could have cost us everything by taking her."

"And yet... You're glad too, aren't you?" She asked, looking at him sideways as she stepped around his form. "You've always had a thing for her." Reaper growled, the sound low in his throat. She knew he was warning her to stop, but she wasn't quite done.

"Am I wrong? Wasn't it you who pined for her despite her eyes wandering over so many others? I mean... How many times did she pass you up? She had the brief flirtation with Amelie, then... She moved on to have a crush on Jack... Even I had a turn with her. But you..." She trailed off when a spectral hand darted out to grip her wrist, squeezing so tight her bones creaked. She held back the wince that threatened to betray her pain, forcing a smirk instead. "Such brutality... Is this truly the man you've become?"

"I've always been this man." He stated, letting go suddenly to storm out of the lab. Moira couldn't risk going to see Angela now, so she took a seat at her desk, busying herself with whatever research she could. Truth be told, there wasn't much she could move forward on for the moment. She needed more outside information. She needed Angela.

Days had passed before Moira finally felt comfortable enough to visit the captive. Any sooner and she feared the organization would have known something was up, that her intentions weren't guided strictly for their gain. However, waiting longer risked them getting anxious and potentially dumping Angela off somewhere or even something worse.

She waited for the guards to open the door for her, allowing her access to the apartment-like quarters where Angela was being detained. At least they'd given her nice accommodations, Moira thought, as she watched the door slide back into place. It sealed so seamlessly that there wasn't even a sign of a door there. No handle on the inside to escape with, truthfully the whole apartment seemed fully sealed once inside. Perhaps that was why Angela was simply laying on the couch, unresponsive to the movement behind her. Knowing her, she'd tried everything three times over before finally giving up and accepting this as her reality. At least it seemed that she'd showered, Moira noticed she now wore one of the pairs of sweatpants and a tshirt they had put in the bedroom for her. Angela may be a prisoner of war, but nobody could say she wasn't being taken care of.

Moira stood behind her for several minutes, simply watching her side rise and fall slowly as she breathed. She had started to believe Angela was asleep until she spoke.

"Whatever it is you've brought to try and make me feel better today, I don't want it." Her voice sounded dry and bitter, a tone Moira hadn't heard from Angela's lips before. The usually bright optimistic medic had lost her spirit somewhere, Moira realized with a start.

"Not even if it's me?" She tried for humor, expecting to be met with sarcasm. Instead, Angela jumped, turning to look at her with wide panicked eyes.

"You- you-" she tried to form a sentence, pressing her back into the couch.

"Me...?" Moira asked, taking the opportunity to perch on the edge of the couch, not too close to her former co-worker, but close enough to grab her if she tried to act irrationally. Angela was regaining her composure, settling into her seat once more with a look of apprehension taking over as the startled one faded away.

"I should have known you'd be behind this. Did they tell you to kidnap me or was it all your idea?" The bitter tone had snapped back into place, a defense she was using to hide her concern, Moira was almost certain.

"I do not speak for Talon, I'm merely their impartial doctor." Moira said quietly, watching the other woman for any sign of an outburst. She couldn't afford to let Angela scream, to shout or throw objects. She couldn't openly admit that it had in fact been her decision, that she'd acted impulsively. She couldn't trust that Angela wouldn't betray her to barter an escape. It pained Moira to feel mistrust in her former partner, but she'd learned through her years that trust was often ill-placed and a travesty to give too easily.

Angela was watching her, a look of curiousity playing at the lines of her face, warring with the soft anger that still held her. When she spoke again, her voice was more impassive than Moira had expected.

"So I assume I won't be going home anytime soon. Will I ever be allowed to leave?" She stood up, moving towards the entertainment center, glancing towards where the door had formed while turning the television set on. "I suppose this is as private of a chat as we'll get..."

Moira sighed, standing up as well, crossing to where Angela now stood. "I can't promise anything. They don't tell me... I only just found out what part of the facility you were being kept in." She lied, knowing that it would upset Angela more to know she'd been the one to select her quarters but hadn't bothered talking to her for several days. Overwatch ran things differently, they handled prisoners differently. Angela wouldn't have understood what an unnecessary risk it would have been to come sooner...

"Of course they don't tell you anything." Angela said with a rueful laugh. "Why would they give you anything to tell me? You'd just use it to get information out of me. Oh, tell me how your resurrection works and I'll give you a phone call. Tell me how you heal effectively and I'll give you visitations. Give me all your research and maybe you can go home?" She threw her hands in the air. "Are you here hoping I'll just be so ecstatic it's you that I'll just spill everything?" Her voice rose in volume. "Did they send you to see me hoping for more?"

Moira moved forward, reaching for Angela's arms. "Shh, gortóidh siad duit..." She said in a quick tone. Angela listened, surprisingly, though she stepped back from Moira all the same. Moira let some of her own emotion show, face falling as her fingers brushed the other woman's arms before feeling nothing but air once more.

"Don't... Touch me. You don't get to touch me anymore..." Angela said quietly as she continued to back away. Eventually, she'd backed up so far that she hit the wall, startle evident on her face. She wasn't acting as erratically as Moira had feared she would, but it wasn't good either.

"I've missed you, aingeal beag." She said smoothly, the old nickname registering in Angela's eyes. She dropped her hands, looking at Moira as she approached. "I just want to make sure you're not hurt." She reached her own hands out once more, relief washing over her when Angela didn't flinch or protest.

"If you miss me, why did you leave in the first place?" Angela asked, a tint of sadness in her words. Moira felt her heart constrict. She'd never explained, not once had she reached out over the years. But how could she? She knew what she'd done...

"You stole my research, left in the night. The accident..." Angela continued. "We lost Gabriel, we lost you... Jack..." She choked up on the last name. "I lost so much that night. I needed you but you decided taking over the world was more important. And now you want me to believe you cared, that you missed me this whole time? You hurt me so badly and I'm supposed to just forgive you?"

Moira sighed, still holding Angela's arms, though the exam had been forgotten. Her thumbs rubbed tiny circles into the other woman's soft skin, remembering the feel, contact that had been missing for too long.

"I... Did steal your research. But I didn't want to take over the world. Talon offered me a laboratory for my research without restriction. I will admit that some of my discoveries haven't come with the most... Ethical of studies. Overwatch would never have let me persue what Talon has. That night, we both lost a lot. But... Much was gained as well. Know that."

"What reason could you have for that?" Angela asked, it looked like she wanted to understand so badly. "Why does anyone have to get hurt for us to improve? We can perform studies without compromising our integrity." Her passionate way of speaking struck a nerve within Moira, one she barely restrained. She had never told Angela about her condition, that she needed to find answers, quickly, before it was too late to do so.

"If you don't believe anything else I say, believe I had a good reason. I can't explain further, and for that I'm sorry." Angela looked away, making Moira sigh. "They aren't dead, you know." This caught Angela's attention. "Jack left. He's out there somewhere though. And the science I've been working on... Saved Gabriel. Mostly. He's... Different now, but alive."

Angela remained silent for several minutes. "He... He's alive..?" Moira remembered that the two had always had a little bit of a flirtation, despite her antagonizing Gabe with the fact that they'd never gotten together. She suddenly wondered if she should have mentioned him, if it would make Angela refuse her even more for hope that the man would come running to her instead. She cursed herself for the thoughts, realizing just how desperately she wanted Angela for herself again.

"He's different." She said again, harsher than she intended. Angela pulled back slightly, but Moira's grip was strong enough to pull her closer with the action. She looked into Angela's eyes, seeing nervousness and apprehension, but something else as well... "Your research helped. We saved him." She said softly, pressing forward another inch, then another. Angela didn't pull back further, not even when Moira's lips finally met hers, tentatively at first, then harder. She kissed Angela with a hunger she hadn't realized she had, surprised to feel Angela kissing her back with the same intensity.

The kiss continued until Moira felt like her lungs would explode, finally pulling back to breathe. Her fingers laced with Angela's, pulling her up as she stood, leading her towards the bedroom quarters. Angela didn't protest, following as if in a daze. They found the bed, resuming the kiss, losing themselves in one another.

Hours later, Moira awoke in bed with Angela resting on her arm, in a fitful sleep. Their clothes lay strewn about the room, something she'd have to deal with later. But not right now, no. Right now she just wanted to hold her lover. She had just shifted, turning to hold Angela closer to her when she heard a sound. Jerking her head to the side, she saw a figure step forward in the shadows. Gabriel, the man they now called Reaper, stood next to the bed. His mask concealed his face, but Moira knew him well enough to know the tumultuous emotions stirring beneath the surface would snap if she broke the spell of silence between them. She had just started to shake her head no, warning him not to wake Angela, when the blonde woke on her own. She turned over, a soft sound of sleep escaping her throat before the confusion took over.

"What..." She asked, eyes finally settling on the man before them. She tugged the blankets up to conceal herself, pressing in closer to Moira. She'd have enjoyed that, if she hadn't been so concerned with the scene playing out before her.

Reaper shifted, sitting on the foot of the bed. The silence was excruciating as Angela looked between the masked man and Moira, confusion and worry evident on her face. Moira couldn't say anything that would help, so she remained silent. In fact, it was Reaper who finally broke the silence.

"Hello, Angela." He said, his voice distorted from his new conditions of life, yet still his enough to recognize, unmistakably him to those who had known him before. Angela gasped in surprise, leaning forward instinctively. Her voice held wonder and nervous hope as she responded.

"Gabriel...?"


	2. Chapter 2

Angela pulled the blankets closer to herself, apprehension taking over her. Moira had said he was alive, but different. Was this what she'd meant?

"Gabriel?" She repeated herself, curiousity getting the best of her. She let the covers slide from her fingers, moving herself towards the edge of the bed, forgetting the state of her own undress. She was vaguely aware of Moira throwing one of the bedsheets around her, ever vigilant as she was.

The man made no motion to leave or stand, simply perching on the foot of the bed as he was before, waiting, reminiscent of a cobra. Angela couldn't believe this was the man she once knew... Moira had said HER research did this?

When she finally reached him, she instinctively tried to remove his mask, albeit slowly. She wanted to see his face, so terribly in awe of the state of things. She wasn't prepared, however, for his reaction. As if materializing from nothing but shadows and air, his hand grasped her wrist. She gasped in surprise and a slight bit of pain, acutely aware of his grip loosening. So, he hadn't meant to hurt her, she reasoned, not attempting any further movement. She allowed him to grip her, waiting with held breath, uncertain of what to expect next.

After what felt like an eternity, he lowered her hand to her side and let go. She breathed out the breath she'd been holding, making the man laugh. The sound was cold and emotionless, so far from the Gabriel she'd known. Yes, Moira was right. He was different.

"Gabriel... What happened to you?" She asked finally, not bothering to try and remove his mask anymore. She would settle for conversation right now, and maybe he'd let her check him over later.

"You tell me, Doc." He retorted, his voice still cold. His hand appeared next to her cheek, a single metal claw dragging across the soft skin. She held still, letting him do it, hoping compliance would open him up to her more.

"The last time I saw you..." She started, hesitating to bring up the incident. Despite her unease, he picked up where she'd trailed, speaking as if it had no effect on him.

"It has been awhile, hasn't it." He spoke as if it were a statement, needing no confirmation. The mask tilted towards Moira, indicating her, but only just. "I'm glad Talon decided to bring you in. We could use another doctor in the medical wing.."

Angela's eyes slid shut slowly. "So are they letting me see you both in the hopes I'll spill my secrets or decide to stay and work for them willingly? What's next, they bring Jack in?"

Her words spurred something in Reaper. His finger pressed harder to her skin, slicing the delicate flesh as if it were paper. Angela cried out in surprise, cut off by a gurgle as his hand closed around her throat. "Do not speak that name again." He warned her, the threat simmering just below the surface. She should have known better, they'd been best friends afterall. And if he was alive, wouldn't Moira have mentioned him as well?

She couldn't reply, fingers grasping uselessly at his arm as she struggled to breathe. He watched her squirm for a few more moments before letting go, so suddenly that Mercy dropped, curling up on the bed, choking for air. Moira cursed under her breath, glaring at Reaper. After several minutes, Angela sat back up to wipe her eyes free of the tears that had been forced out.

"Did that feel good?" She asked, voice scratchy but defiant. Her chin tilted up, daring him to say or do something. When he didn't, she spoke again, even stronger than before. "I want to take a look at you and see what exactly was done to you." She paused, giving him a chance to laugh at her or get angry again. "In exchange, I'll help your wounded. But I will not give my research up."

It was now that the man finally laughed. "We don't need your help with wounded agents. We don't need you at all." Angela flinched. "Moira wants to enhance her own work using yours. At least it seems that way. " he turned towards Moira, who'd steepled her fingers and had her forhead against their tips now.

"I need her assistance yes, but willingly. I will not force her." She said without looking up. Angela didn't look back at Moira, eyes staying on Gabriel. The masked figure turned back to Angela, seemingly studying her. Finally, he answered her.

"Agree to assist her. I'll let you... Take a look at me, as you put it." Angela started to reach towards him, the feeling of his hand on her wrist came once more. She worried she would grow used to it quickly, at this rate... "Agree." He growled at her, no hint of teasing remaining.

"I agree." She said simply, trying to move her arm again. She was desperate to see his face, to feel the warmth he had once radiated. Her feelings before the incident had been a tangled mess, loss of Amelie and the pain of Gabriel turning away from her when he caught her and Moira in the labs one time.. She'd remembered that moment many times over the years and still wasn't sure if it had been set up that way or if it had really been an accident.

"Not here." He said, and Angela noticed that his voice had softened somewhat. Was her agreeing really all it had taken? Either Talon was desperate, or... Did more of the man she'd known before remain than Moira had tried to convice her of?

"I'm confined to this... Space." She said, unsure of what to call it. Cell didn't feel right, but what else would one call a place they were being detained in? "I would happily talk with you somewhere else, but I can't. In fact- how am I supposed to help with research if I'm in here?"

"It'll be arranged." He stated, finally standing to exit the room. He hesitated at the door, turning back towards the women for a moment. "We have a meeting in an hour, Moira. I assume that will be enough time for you to find the room you're supposed to be in." The figure dissipated into a black smoke, leaving a chilled silence in his wake.

The silence stretched on, giving way to awkwardness that was only broken by Angela's feelings of betrayal.

"You said he was different but... That- that wasn't- he-" she stumbled for her words.

"It was the only way. I assure you that if his life could have been saved any other way, I'd have done it. No matter, this is the outcome. We have to... Endure it now."

Angela stared at Moira, dumbfounded. "You think this is any sort of life for him? He isn't himself, he's not Gabriel anymore. Those powers, the way he moved... That is not the man I once.." She sighed, trying to calm herself well enough to vocalize her thoughts. Moira, however, didn't want to give her that chance.

"The man you what? He was in love with you before the blast. Surely you knew that, though. It was part of the reason he and Morrison were fighting that day."

Angela froze. The Swiss blast had been devestating, so many Overwatch members lost, even she'd barely gotten out. The media hadn't been allowed to know about it, naturally, and it was ruled an accident. She couldn't believe that she was partially to blame though... The people she loved, quarreling over her? It couldn't be.

"They couldn't have been fighting over me." She said, trying to convince herself just as much as Moira. "And if he was in love with me, why did he never speak of it?" She continued, puzzling over the information, trying to discredit it.

"He saw us in the labs a few days before the fight. I didn't want to upset you, so I didn't say anything. He was planning to leave Overwatch and Morrison tried to make him stay. I'm... Sorry." The word sounded foreign coming from Moira's mouth, not one Angela was used to hearing her say. The scientist usually explained herself or her actions, attempts to convince rather than admit fault.

The two women stayed like that for awhile, silently processing what had transpired. Without a word, Moira got up and started getting dressed, gently placing Angela's clothes on the bed where Reaper had sat. Angela let her leave without a word, lost in her own thoughts. Her mind was a whirlwind of medical science, trying to piece together how her own research had been used to do... Whatever had been done to Gabriel.

Hours later, Angela sat on the couch with several papers surrounding her, a notebook in her lap. Balls of paper littered the floor, she hadn't quite figured out where the waste basket was. If there even was one... She assumed most captives had no need for it, the paper and pens had been brought to her by Reaper shortly after Moira had left.

"It doesn't make sense.." She murmured to herself, her frustration increasing with every failed equation. So lost in her own mind, she hadn't heard the faint hiss of the door opening, or the other person approaching.

"Just like old times." Moira said softly, standing above Angela. The voice startled her from her thoughts, eyes snapping up to the taller woman.

"I can't make sense of it. The regenerative properties... How did his turn out so... So... Faulty?" She asked, gesturing outward as if to convey her words better through the movement of her hands.

"It isn't faulty, his cells regenerate at a very high rate. His healing capabilities are beyond anything else we've seen. But..." She trailed off, studying Angela.

"But it's not what it should be. He shouldn't have lasting capabilities like that. The fact that he can... For lack of a better term... Teleport?" She shook her head. "It's meant to keep people alive. Maybe even... Stop death to an extent. Reverse it." She looked down at her notebook. "It does that, yes, but... Something isn't right. I wish he would just let me see him, test his blood maybe."

Moira laughed. "I don't know that he has blood anymore." She said simply, looking at Angela pointedly. "He always was fond of you, moreso than me. Once he realized he could do these new things... Teleport as you put it, he stopped allowing me to test him. I wouldn't know if the man bleeds now, or if he's merely a ghost taking physical form." She gestured at Angela's neck. "At least we know it's a physical form now, thanks to you."

Angela frowned at the other woman. "I didn't expect him to do that... I guess that shows me he isn't the same now though. Despite what you'd said, I had hoped..." She shook her head. "So Jack and Amelie... Ana... Dead? Was Gabriel the only other... Survivor?"

It was Moira's turn to frown, her expression mirroring Angela's. "If the condition is worse than Reaper, would you want to know, or rather think them dead?" Angela was surprised by this, eyes widening.

"So... They're alive?" She asked, unintentional excitement painfully obvious on her face. She moved her notebook, turning to face Moira better. "Please tell me what you know."

Moira sighed, forehead pressed into her fingertips. "Morrison's body was never recovered. I couldn't say for sure what happened to him, but the assumption is that he perished. Amari as well." Angela started to go slack, kicking herself for her enthusiastic nature. She would have found them, had they lived, she was certain. They never would have gone with Talon, to be hidden away like Gabriel had been.

"And I suppose that includes Amelie. What use would she have been for Talon anyway?" Angela didn't wait for a response, turning back to her papers. She was frustrated, the words looping around themselves in her mind.

Moira stayed silent, and after several minutes had passed, Angela grew irritated by the silence. "I'm having trouble focusing. I need time alone. To... think." She said, stepping her fingers, elbows on her knees.

The other woman rose, seemingly upset by the dismissal but allowing it all the same. "I'll speak to you later then." She waited for a reply but got none, leaving with a sigh.

Angela flopped back on the couch, closing her eyes. She couldn't focus around her former... Partner? It didn't feel like the right term. Especially given the compromising situation Gabriel had found them in...

She laughed quietly. Of course he had been here all along... She felt stupid for not having connected the dots sooner. Now, with it all laid out in front of her, it wasn't hard to see how this would happen.

She made her way to the bathroom, leaving the papers across the couch. What good would hiding them do anyway? Moira had seen everything anyway. And if she tried to hide them... Well, they'd find them anyway, she was sure.

She took a long shower, relaxing in the heat and the steam, before heading to the bedroom for a nap. Perhaps, she reasoned, a nap would help clear her head...

She had just fallen asleep when she felt a pressure against her face, silencing her, a familiar voice shushing her before she could even consider screaming.


End file.
